James Kirkup is The Telegraph's Executive Editor (Politics). He was previously the Telegraph's Political Editor and has worked at Westminster since 2001.

Tory conference: finding Gordon Brown's tail

Gordon Brown is a donkey. That's the prevalent analysis among the Tory high command here in Birmingham. The shorthand being used for the party's strategy over the next few months is "Pin the tail on the donkey". (Get your eye in here).

In essence, it means saying over and over again that instead of being the man to steer us through an economic crisis, Gordon Brown is the man to blame for that crisis.